Diy shoe

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a DIY shoe. The shoe includes a bottom sole which has a through hole therein, and at least one cover which is removably coupled to the bottom sole. The cover includes a connection part which is inserted into the through hole of the bottom sole, and a locking part which is provided on the connection part. The through hole has a shape of a slot of which a longitudinal length is longer than a lateral length. The locking part has a non-circular shape in which a longitudinal length of the locking part is equal to or less than the longitudinal length of the through hole and a lateral length of the locking part is greater than the longitudinal length of the locking part so that the locking part is easily inserted into the through hole but not easily removed therefrom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to DIY (Do It Yourself) shoeswhich are configured such that covers are removably coupled to bottomsoles of the shoes and, more particularly, to a DIY shoe which isconfigured such that each of locking parts of a cover is rotated to avertical position and inserted into a selected through hole of a bottomsole and is forcibly fitted into and fastened to the bottom sole in ahorizontal position after the insertion has been completed, so that theassembly of the DIY shoe can be easily realized without using a separatetool, thus making it easy to replace the cover with a new one or changethe shape of the shoe, and in which the material of the locking partsprovided on the ends of the cover may be the same as that of the coveror be made of rigid material different from the cover so that eventhough no separate structure such as a snap ring is provided, thelocking parts can be prevented from bending even when a comparativelylarge external force is applied thereto, thus strengthening the couplingof the cover to the bottom sole, and in which a connection hook may beprovided on each locking part and be connected to the correspondingconnection part so that the connection part is prevented from beingexposed below the locking part, thus preventing the connection part frombeing damaged when the shoe is in use, and in which after the assemblyof the shoe has been completed, a peculiar color or logo may be appliedto a surface of the locking part that is exposed to the outside from thelower surface or sidewall of the bottom sole, thus making it possiblefor a user to express his/her individuality, and improving theaesthetics.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, most shoes are permanently-fixed shoes of which uppers andbottom soles are fixed to each other. However, in the case ofpermanently-fixed shoes, even if only either an upper or a bottom soleis damaged, the entire shoe becomes unusable. In particular, it isimpossible to change the shape of a shoe into different shapes.

In an effort to overcome the above disadvantages, an assembly type shoewas proposed, of which an upper (in the case of a shoe such as a sandalor the like, referred to as a cover) is removably coupled to a bottomsole.

In the conventional assembly type shoe, through holes are verticallyformed through the bottom sole at positions spaced apart from each otheralong the periphery of the bottom sole. The size of each through hole issufficient for a user to insert his/her finger into the through hole. Aprotrusion is provided on the surface in the through hole. To assemblethe shoe, opposite ends of a band are coupled to the protrusions of thecorresponding through holes. For this, a linear or cross-shaped slit isformed in each end of the band. The user uses his/her finger or aseparate tool, inserts each end of the band into the correspondingthrough hole, and inserts the protrusion into the slit.

However, in the conventional art, inserting the protrusion into thecorresponding slit through the through hole forces the user not only toinsert a separate tool or his/her finger into the through hole but alsoto push the end of the band towards the protrusion. Therefore, it isquite cumbersome and difficult to assemble the shoe. Particularly, thethrough holes which are vertically formed through the bottom sole arecomparatively large and are exposed to the outside from the lowersurface (bottom surface) of the bottom sole. Thus, while the user wearsthe shoes and walks, foreign substances such as stones or the likebecome embedded in the through holes which are exposed to the outsidefrom the lower surface (bottom surface) of the bottom sole, or theforeign substances may reach the upper surface of the bottom sole whichcomes into contact with the foot of the user, thus staining or hurtingthe foot. Moreover, because the band is typically made of flexiblematerial, if the band that has the slits is pulled with excessive force,a portion of the band surrounding each slit may easily tear or bedamaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind theabove problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the presentinvention is to provide a DIY shoe which provides a plurality of covershaving different designs and colors and allows a user to combine thecovers with a bottom sole in a variety of manners in response to his/hertaste, thus making it possible to create different designs of shoes fromthe single shoe.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a DIY shoe whichcan be easily assembled even without using a separate tool, thusfacilitating replacement of the covers or a change of the shape of theshoe.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a DIY shoe whichis configured such that each locking part of the covers is rotated to avertical position and inserted into a selected through hole of thebottom sole and is forcibly fitted into and fastened to the bottom solein a horizontal position after the insertion has been completed, so thateach cover can be easily and strongly coupled to the bottom sole.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a DIY shoe inwhich the material of the locking parts that couple the covers to thebottom sole is a rigid material so that even though no separatestructure such as a snap ring is provided, the locking parts can beprevented from bending even when a comparatively large external force isapplied thereto, thus strengthening the coupling of the covers to thebottom sole.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a DIY shoein which a connection hook is provided on each locking part andconnected to the corresponding connection part so that the connectionpart is prevented from being exposed below the locking part, thuspreventing the connection part from being damaged when the shoe is inuse.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a DIY shoein which after the assembly of the shoe has been completed, a peculiarcolor or logo is applied to a surface of the locking part that isexposed to the outside from the lower surface or sidewall of the bottomsole, thus making it possible for a user to express his/herindividuality, and improving the aesthetics.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention providesa DIY shoe, including a bottom sole having a foot shape, with a throughhole formed through the bottom sole at a position adjacent to aperiphery of the bottom sole, and at least one cover removably coupledto the bottom sole, the cover having a connection part inserted into thethrough hole of the bottom sole, and a locking part provided on theconnection part. The through hole has a shape of a slot of which alongitudinal length is longer than a lateral length, and the lockingpart has a non-circular shape in which a longitudinal length of thelocking part is equal to or less than the longitudinal length of thethrough hole and a lateral length of the locking part is greater thanthe longitudinal length of the locking part so that the locking part iseasily inserted into the through hole but not easily removed therefrom.

The connection part may have a shape of a band having a predeterminedflexibility and extends from an end of the cover. The locking part maybe provided on an end of the connection part so that the locking part isable to flexibly bend onto the cover and elastically return to anoriginal position thereof, whereby the locking part is easily insertedinto the through hole, and after the locking part has been inserted intothe through hole, the locking part elastically returns to the originalposition thereof, thus preventing the locking part from being easilyremoved from the through hole.

The locking part may have a logo formed on a surface of the locking partthat is exposed to an outside after the locking part has been insertedinto the through hole, or have a different color on the exposed surfacethereof.

The connection part may comprise a non-flexible material part formed onan end of the cover.

The connection part may comprise a string sewn to the end of the cover.

The locking part may be made of rigid material.

The locking part may comprise a connection hook protruding upwards fromthe locking part, and the connection part may be coupled to theconnection hook so that the connection part is prevented from beingexposed below the locking part, thus preventing the connection part frombeing damaged.

A thickness of the locking part may be equal to or less than the laterallength of the through hole.

The connection part may be embedded in the through hole of the bottomsole after the locking part has been inserted through the through hole.

The bottom sole may have a seating depression formed around an end ofthe through hole, the seating depression having a shape corresponding toa shape of the locking part so that the locking part which has beeninserted into the through hole is seated into the seating depression.

The through hole may be formed through the bottom sole in a slanteddirection from an upper surface of the bottom sole to a sidewallthereof. The seating depression may be formed in the sidewall of thebottom sole. The locking part may have a logo formed on a surface of thelocking part that is exposed to an outside after the locking part hasbeen inserted into the through hole, or have a different color on theexposed surface thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more clearly understood from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a DIY shoe, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cover of FIG. 1 that is stretchedout;

FIG. 3 is a reference view showing a locking part of FIG. 1 that isoriented vertically;

FIG. 4 is a reference view showing the locking part of FIG. 1 that isoriented horizontally;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a process of inserting one endof a cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line A-A′ of FIG. 1 when thecover has been coupled to a bottom sole;

FIG. 7 is a reference view providing an explanation of the size of athrough hole of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a reference view providing an explanation of the size of alocking part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a reference view showing another example of the through holeof FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a reference view showing a further example of the throughhole of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a reference view showing yet another example of the throughhole of FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a reference view showing another example of the locking partof FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a reference view showing a further example of the lockingpart of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a reference view showing yet another example of the lockingpart of FIG. 8;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating another example of aconnection part and a locking part of the cover;

FIG. 16 is of views showing different coupling structures of the coversof the DIY shoe of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing shapes of through holes of a DIYshoe, according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating covers that are inserted intoand coupled to selected through holes of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view showing another example of acover of the DIY shoe according to the present invention;

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view showing a further example of acover of the DIY shoe according to the present invention; and

FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view showing a DIY shoe, according toa further embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a DIY shoe according to thepresent invention will be described in detail with reference to theattached drawings. If in the specification, detailed descriptions ofwell-known functions or configurations may unnecessarily make the gistof the present invention obscure, the detailed descriptions will beomitted.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 16, a DIY shoe according to an embodimentof the present invention includes a bottom sole 10 the shape of whichcorresponds to that of a foot of a human being, and one or more covers30 which are removably coupled to the bottom sole 10. A plurality ofthrough holes 110 are formed in the bottom sole 10 at predeterminedpositions along a periphery of the bottom sole 10. Each cover 30includes connection parts 320 which are inserted into the correspondingthrough holes 110, and a locking part 310 which is connected to an endof each connection part 320. Each through hole 110 is configured in aslot shape such that its longitudinal length (L1, a length of a shortestportion in a direction Y of a long side of the through hole 110 that istypically rectangular, refer to FIGS. 7, 9 through 11) is longer thanits lateral length (L2, a length of a shortest portion in a direction Xof a short side of the through hole 110 that is typically rectangular,refer to FIGS. 7, 9 through 11). Each locking part 310 is configuredsuch that it is easily inserted into a through hole 110 but is preventedfrom being undesirably removed therefrom. For this, the shape of thelocking part 310 is a non-circular shape in which a longitudinal length(L5, a length of a longest portion in the same direction Y as that ofthe longitudinal length of the through hole 110, refer to FIGS. 8, 12through 14) of the locking part 310 is less than approximately thelongitudinal length L1 of the through hole 110, and a lateral length(L6, a length of a longest portion in the same direction X as that ofthe lateral length of the through hole 110, refer to FIGS. 8, 12 through14) of the locking part 310 is greater than the longitudinal length L5of the locking part 310.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bottom sole 10 is a sole of a shoe(particularly, a sandal) which is disposed under the sole of the foot ofa wearer. The bottom sole 10 has a shape corresponding to that of thesole of the foot and comes into direct contact with the ground when thewearer walks. The material of the bottom sole 10 may be apartially-elastic flexible material (for example, foamed urethane,rubber, synthetic resin, etc., which can be contracted or folded whenforce is applied thereto and be elastically restored to its originalposition when the force is removed). However, it is not excluded thatthe material of the bottom sole 10 may be a rigid material which canminimize deformation of the shape of the through holes 110 which will beexplained later herein.

The through holes 110 are formed through the bottom sole 10 atpredetermined positions along the periphery of the bottom sole 10 sothat the covers 30 can be removably inserted into and coupled toselected through holes 110, thus allowing the user to replace a cover 30with a new one or change the coupling locations of the covers 30.

In detail, the through holes 110 which are formed through the bottomsole 10 at predetermined positions along the periphery of the bottomsole 10 are those of the structure which allows the locking parts 310and/or connection parts 320 of the covers 30 to be inserted into andcoupled to selected through holes 110. As shown in FIG. 1, each throughhole 110 may be vertically formed through a predetermined portion of thebottom sole 10. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 17, each through hole110 may be formed through a predetermined portion of the bottom sole 10in a slanted direction from an upper surface of the bottom sole 10 to asidewall (this will be explained in more detail later herein). As shownin FIGS. 1, 7, 9 through 11, the shape of each through hole 110 is aslot shape, in general, a rectangular shape (refer to FIG. 7), of whichthe long side (the longer side of the through hole) is greater than theshort side (the shorter side of the through hole). As shown in FIGS. 9through 11, each through hole 110 can have a variety of shapes similarto that of a rectangle, of which the longitudinal length L1 is greaterthan the lateral length L2. In other words, in the present invention,the shape (shown in a plan view) of the through hole 110 is not limitedto that of a rectangle (refer to FIG. 7), and it can be modified indifferent shapes that are non-circular shapes, for example, of whicheach side is concave or convex.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, etc., the through holes 110 may bearranged in lines at positions spaced apart from each other at regularintervals along the periphery of the bottom sole 10 so that the covers30 can be inserted into selected ones of the through holes 110 that areat positions desired by the user. If a seating depression 120 is formedin the bottom sole 10 to a predetermined depth around each end of thethrough holes 110, the through hole 110 is preferably spaced apart fromthe peripheral surface of the bottom sole 10 inwards by a predetermineddistance in consideration of the size of the seating depression 120.

As shown in FIG. 6, the seating depressions 120 may be formed in thelower surface (coming into direct contact with the ground) of the bottomsole 10 around the ends of the through holes 110, in more detail, aroundthe ends thereof that are opposite to the ends of the through holes 110through which the corresponding covers 30 enter the through holes 110.In this case, each seating depression 120 is configured such that it isdepressed from the lower surface (coming into direct contact with theground) of the bottom sole 10 inwards (upwards, when it is assumed thatthe through holes 110 that are formed vertically in the bottom sole 10).Further, the area of each seating depression 120 which is formed aroundthe end of the corresponding through hole 110 and depressed inwards(that is, upwards based on the lower surface of the bottom sole 10) isgreater than that of a portion through which the through hole 110 passesthrough the bottom sole 10. Therefore, after the covers 30 have beencompletely inserted into and coupled to selected through holes 110, thelocking parts 310 of the covers 30 are forcibly fitted into thecorresponding seating depressions 120 so that the locking parts 310 canbe prevented from protruding out of the bottom sole 10 (that is, fromprotruding below the lower surface of the bottom sole 10). As a result,the locking parts 310 can be prevented from being damaged while the shoeis in use, and the locking parts 310 can be reliably fastened to thebottom sole 10, thus keeping the coupling of the covers 30 to the bottomsole 10 intact. The shape of each seating depression 120 corresponds tothat of the locking part 310 that is oriented horizontally, so that thelocking part 310 can be forcibly fitted into the seating depression 120and prevented from becoming undesirably removed therefrom.

The cover 30 is configured such that it enables the wearer to wear theDIY shoe and wraps the top side of the foot of the wearer. The cover 30refers to a part which is commonly called ‘the upper’ of a typical shoeor ‘a strap’ of a sandal type shoe. In the present invention, the term‘cover’ is used as a common designation for parts which wrap the topside of the wearer. As shown in FIG. 1, etc., each cover 30 is removablycoupled to the bottom sole 10, thus allowing the user to replace it witha new one or change the coupling location thereof. Typically, each cover30 is a part which comes into contact with the top side of the foot ofthe wearer. Thus, it is preferable for the cover 30 to be made ofpartially-elastic flexible material, but in the present invention, thematerial of the cover 30 is not limited to a flexible material. As shownin FIG. 2, each cover 30 extends a predetermined length longitudinally,which has a predetermined width L3. The cover 30 has on each of oppositeends thereof the locking part 310 which is inserted into a selectedthrough hole 110, and the connection part 320 which connects the lockingpart 310 to the cover 30. To dispose each connection part 320 and aportion of the corresponding end of the cover 30 inside the through hole110 when the cover 30 is completely inserted into and coupled to thebottom sole 10, the width L3 of the cover 30 is preferably less than thelongitudinal length L1 of the through hole 110, and a thickness L4 ofthe cover 30 is preferably less than the lateral length L2 of thethrough hole 110. As shown in FIG. 1, etc., each connection part 320 isa part which is provided between the corresponding locking part 310 andthe cover 30 and connects the locking part 310 to the cover 30. In anembodiment, the connection part 320 may have a variety of shapes, forexample, a flexible band (refer to FIG. 1) or a strap having tension ofa predetermined degree or more (refer to FIG. 15, this will be explainedin detail later herein). If the shape of the connection part 320 is thatof a flexible band, the width of the connection part 320 may be the sameas the width L3 of the cover 30, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The locking parts 310 are connected to the respective opposite ends ofthe cover 30 by the corresponding connection parts 320. Each lockingpart 310 is rotatable around the connection part 320 or the end of thecover 30 (refer to FIGS. 2 through 4) which functions as an axis for thelocking part 310. As described above, if the connection part 320comprises a flexible band, the locking part 310 which is connected tothe cover 30 by the connection part 320 can rotate around the connectionpart 320 or the end of the cover 30 between a horizontal position (whichis the same position as that when the locking part 310 is forciblyfitted into the seating depression 120, refer to FIGS. 4 and 6) and avertical position (which has been rotated to 90° from the horizontalposition so that the locking part 310 can be inserted into the throughhole 110, refer to FIGS. 3 and 5). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, whenthe locking part 310 is rotated to the vertical position, it can beeasily inserted into the through hole 110, thus facilitating theinsertion and coupling of the cover 30 to the through hole 110. Afterthe insertion has been completed, as shown in FIG. 6, the locking part310 is rotated to the horizontal position and is forcibly fitted intothe seating depression 120 which is formed in the lower surface of thebottom sole 10 around the through hole 110. Thereby, the cover 30 can bereliably fastened to the bottom sole 10. In the present invention, theshape of each locking part 310 is non-circular. The locking part 310must be able to be easily inserted into the through hole 110. Inaddition, after the insertion has been completed, the locking part 310must be prevented from being undesirably pulled out of the bottom sole10 through the through hole 110 even though the cover 30 is pulledupwards. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the locking part 310 is inthe horizontal position, the lateral length L6 of the locking part 310must be greater than the longitudinal length L5 of the locking part 310.The longitudinal length L5 of the locking part 310 must be equal to orless than the longitudinal length L1 of the through hole 110. Thelateral length L6 of the locking part 310 must be greater than thelateral length L2 of the through hole 110. Therefore, as shown in FIG.5, when the locking part 310 is rotated to the vertical position toallow it to enter the through hole 110, because the longitudinal lengthL5 of the locking part 310 is equal to or less than the longitudinallength L1 of the through hole 110, the locking part 310 can be easilyinserted into the through hole 110. As shown in FIG. 6, after theinsertion has been completed and the locking part 310 has been fittedinto the seating depression 120 at the horizontal position, the lockingpart 310 is hooked around the through hole 110 and prevented from beingremoved upwards from the seating depression 120 through the through hole110, because the lateral length L6 of the locking part 310 is greaterthan the lateral length L2 of the through hole 110. Thus, even thoughthe cover 30 is pulled upwards, the locking parts 310 can reliably keepthe cover 30 in the coupled position. For reference, if the cover 30must be separated from the bottom sole 10 to replace the cover 30 with anew one or change the location of the cover 30, each locking part 310 isfirst removed from the corresponding seating depression 120 downwards.The locking part 310 is thereafter rotated to the vertical position andpulled upwards away from the through hole 110. As such, the cover 30 canbe easily separated from the bottom sole 10. The present invention ischaracterized in that the shape (shown in a plan view) of the lockingpart 310 which is in the horizontal position is a non-circular shape.Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 8, 12 through 14, the locking part 310 mayalso have a variety of polygonal shapes.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, there may be a section in which thelocking part 310 overlaps the cover 30 or the connection part 320 whenthe locking part 310 is in the vertical position. Therefore, to easilyinsert the locking part 310 into the through hole 110 after it has beenrotated to the vertical position, the total thickness L7 of anoverlapping portion between the locking part 310 and the cover 30 orbetween the locking part 310 and the connection part 320 must be equalto or less than the lateral length L2 of the through hole 110. To reducethe total thickness L7 of the overlapping portion between the lockingpart 310 and the cover 30 or between the locking part 310 and theconnection part 320, as shown in FIG. 4, the locking part 310 may beconfigured such that the thickness of only one side thereof based on theconnection part 320 is reduced by a predetermined depth L8.

In the DIY shoe of the present invention having the above-mentionedconstruction, the locking part 310 can be easily inserted into thethrough hole 110 after it has been rotated to the vertical position.After the insertion has been completed, the locking part 310 is rotatedto the horizontal position and forcibly fitted into the seatingdepression 120. Thanks to the above structure of the locking part 310,there is neither a need to use a separate tool nor for user to inserthis/her finger into the through hole 110 during the process ofassembling the DIY shoe. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16, the covers 30can be easily coupled to the bottom sole 10 in a variety of manners, andthe manner of coupling can be easily changed. Thus, the coupling mannersor colors of the covers 30 can be variously changed so that the style ofthe shoes can be easily changed in response to an individual user'staste. Of course, after each cover 30 has been coupled to the bottomsole 10, the coupled state can be reliably maintained. Furthermore,after the coupling of the cover 30 to the bottom sole 10 has beencompleted, the ends of the cover 30 which are disposed in the throughholes 110 are not exposed to the outside, thus improving the aesthetics.As shown in FIG. 6, the locking parts 310 of the cover 30 which areforcibly fitted into the corresponding seating depressions 120 block theends of the through holes 110 from being exposed to the ground at thelower surface of the bottom sole 10. Therefore, unlike the conventionalart, foreign substances such as stones or the like can be prevented frombeing embedded in the through hole 110 while the user wears the shoesand walks. Further, in the present invention, the color of the exposedsurface of each locking part 310 that is forcibly fitted in thecorresponding seating depression 120 may be a peculiar color, or apeculiar logo or the like may be formed on the exposed surface of thelocking part 310, thus further improving the aesthetics, and making itpossible for the user who highly regards his/her individuality to createand decorate the shoes more variously in response to his/her ownindividuality.

Referring to FIG. 15, in the DIY shoe according to the presentinvention, the connection between the cover 30 and the locking part 310may be embodied in a different manner. In detail, the connection part320 may comprise a string or strap which has a predetermined amount oftension and connects the locking part 310 to the end of the cover 30.

As shown in FIG. 15, the cover 30 is connected to a first end of theconnection part 320 that comprises a strap having a predetermined amountof tension. In an embodiment of FIG. 15, the end of the cover 30 isseparated into two layers. The first end of the strap-shaped connectionpart 320 is disposed between the two layers of the end of the cover 30.Thereafter, the two layers are sewn or bonded to each other, so that theconnection part 320 can be reliably fastened to the cover 30.

Further, a second end of the connection part 320 is coupled to thelocking part 310. In the embodiment of FIG. 15, a connection hook 311protrudes upwards from the locking part 310. The connection part 320wraps around the connection hook 311 or is tied to the connection hook311 so that the second end of the connection part 320 is not exposed outof the lower surface of the locking part 310, thus preventing it frombeing damaged while the shoe is in use. For example, unlike theembodiment of FIG. 15, if it is assumed that a ‘⊖’-shaped passing holeis formed through a central portion of the locking part 310 and thesecond end of the connection part 320 is tied to a rod that is across amedial portion of the passing hole, there is no choice but to expose alower portion of the second end of the connection part 320, which iswrapped around and tied to the rod put across the medial portion of the‘⊖’-shaped passing hole, to the outside (that is, below the lowersurface of the locking part 310). In this case, when the user wears theshoes and walks, the exposed portion of the second end of the connectionpart 320 comes into contact with and rubs against the ground, thus beingdamaged. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 15, the connection hook 311protrudes upwards from the locking part 310 and the second end of theconnection part 320 is wrapped around and tied to the connection hook311. Thus, the second end of the connection part 320 is not exposed tothe outside, that is, does not coming into contact with the ground evenwhen the shoes are in use, so that it can be prevented from beingdamaged.

As such, if the string or strap type connection part 320 having thepredetermined amount of tension connects the locking part 310 to thecover 30, only the locking part 310 may be made of rigid material ratherthan flexible material, unlike the cover 30. The rigid material ismaterial which is sufficiently rigid to prevent it from contracting orbending even if external force is applied thereto. For example, therigid material may preferably be metal or high-strength synthetic resin.As such, if the locking part 310 is made of rigid material, it isneither bent nor curved even when external force is applied thereto,unlike that made of flexible material. Therefore, it is not required tofit a separate rigid substance such as a snap ring over the upperportion of the locking part 310 (made of flexible material), unlike theconventional art. Moreover, after each rigid locking part 310 has beenfitted into the corresponding seating depression 120, even if the cover30 is pulled upwards by comparatively large force, the locking part 310can be prevented from bending or curving. Thereby, the locking part 310can be firmly locked to the portion around the lower end of the throughhole 110, thus more reliably fastening the cover 30 to the bottom sole10.

FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention.In this embodiment, each through hole 110 is formed through the bottomsole 10 in a slanted direction from the upper surface of the bottom sole10 to the sidewall thereof.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 17, because the through hole 110 is formedthrough the bottom sole 10 in a slanted direction from the upper surfaceof the bottom sole 10 to the sidewall thereof, a first end of thethrough hole 110 is located in the upper surface of the bottom sole 10while a second end thereof is located in the sidewall of the bottom sole10. A seating depression 120 which is depressed inwards around thesecond end of the through hole 110 is also located in the sidewall ofthe bottom sole 10. As shown in FIG. 18, each locking part 310 of thecovers 30 is inserted into the corresponding through hole 110 in adirection from the first end of the through hole 110 to the second end,comes out of the sidewall of the bottom sole 10, and is forcibly fittedinto the seating depression 120 which is formed in the sidewall of thebottom sole 10.

As such, in this embodiment, the through hole 110 is formed in thesidewall of the bottom sole 10 rather than in the lower surface (thatis, the surface that comes into contact with the ground) of the bottomsole 10. Hence, the locking part 310 which is inserted into the throughhole 110 is also located in and coupled to the sidewall of the bottomsole 10. Thus, when the user wears the shoes and uses them, there is noprobability of the locking parts 310 coming into contact with the groundand being damaged or of foreign substances being embedded in the throughholes 110 or the seating depressions 120. As a result, the durabilityand wearing comfort of the shoes can be enhanced. Further, the color ofthe exposed surface of each locking part 310 that is forcibly fitted inthe corresponding seating depression 120 disposed in the sidewall of thebottom sole 10 may be a peculiar color, or a peculiar logo or the likemay be formed on the exposed surface of the locking part 310, thusfurther improving the aesthetics, and making it possible for the userwho highly regards his/her individuality to create and decorate theshoes more variously in response to his/her own individuality.

FIG. 19 illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention.Unlike the prior embodiments in which the cover 30 is elongated, in thisembodiment, the shape of a cover 30 is that of a board having arelatively large area, and a plurality of locking parts 310 are providedon opposite sides of the cover 30, as shown in FIG. 19. The reason forthis structure is because increasing the area of the cover 30, to whicha comparatively large force is applied from the top side of the foot ofthe user when the shoe is in use, can improve the durability of theshoe. Furthermore, the board-shaped portion of the cover 30 may be thatof one of a variety of shapes, for example, a triangle, a rectangle, astar, etc. so that the user can selectively use one of them depending onhis/her individuality. Referring to FIG. 20, in yet another embodimentof the present invention, the cover 30 may be that of a ‘Y’ shape,unlike the prior embodiments. As such, the present invention ischaracterized in that the shape of the cover 30 may be variouslymodified, as shown in FIGS. 2, 19 and 20. Although the shape of thecover 30 may be variously modified, all of the kinds of covers 30 have astructure including the locking parts 310 and the connection parts 320.Furthermore, as the shape of the cover 30 changes, the locations, atwhich the through holes 110 are formed in the bottom sole 10 and thelocking parts 310 of the cover 30 are inserted into the through holes110, may also be changed, as shown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 21 illustrates an assembly DIY shoe according to still anotherembodiment of the present invention. In the assembly DIY shoe of thisembodiment, the bottom sole 10 includes an outsole 140 which comes intodirect contact with the ground, and an insole 130 which is removablycoupled to the outsole 140 so that the insole 130 which is a portioncoming into contact with the sole of the foot of the user can beseparated from the outsole 140. The insole 130 can be replaced withanother one which has a different color or design, as necessary.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 21, the insole 130 is configured so that anupper portion of the bottom sole 10 which comes into contact with thesole of the foot of the user is separated from a lower portion of thebottom sole 10, so that the insole 130 can be removably coupled to theoutsole 140 which comes into contact with the ground, as necessary.Thus, to respond to the diversification of the taste of people,according to users' preference, the insole 130 can be made in differentcolors or shapes. Therefore, this embodiment can more meet thepreference of consumers which pursue different kinds of styles. Thecoupling of the insole 130 to the outsole 140 can be realized indifferent ways, for example, a Velcro type (refer to FIG. 21), aforcibly-fitting type using coupling holes and protrusions, asliding-insert type in which protrusions are inserted into the groovesin a sliding manner, etc. For the sake of convenience in replacement,the Velcro type can be mainly used. Through holes 110 are formed throughthe insole 130 at positions spaced apart from each other at regularintervals along the periphery of the insole 130 so that the cover 30 canbe removably coupled to the insole 130. Here, the outsole 140 may alsohave through holes 110 at positions corresponding to those of the insole130. Preferably, the through holes 110 and seating depressions 120 areformed in only the insole 130 but are not formed in the outsole 140. Inthis case, because neither the through hole 110 nor the seatingdepression 120 is formed in the lower surface of the outsole 140 whichcomes into contact with the ground, it can fundamentally prevent foreignsubstances from entering the through holes 110 or prevent the lockingparts 310, which are forcibly fitted into the seating depressions 120formed on the lower ends of the through holes 110, from being exposed tothe ground, thus preventing the locking parts 310 from being damaged.

As described above, a DIY shoe according to the present invention havingthe above-mentioned construction provides the following effects.

The present invention provides a plurality of covers having differentdesigns and colors and allows a user to combine the covers with a bottomsole in a variety of manners in response to his/her taste, thus makingit possible to create different designs of shoes from the single shoe.

The assembly of the shoe can be easily embodied even without using aseparate tool. Therefore, the present invention facilitates replacementof the covers or changes in the shape of the shoe.

The present invention is configured such that each locking part of thecovers is rotated to a vertical position and inserted into a selectedthrough hole of the bottom sole and is forcibly fitted into and fastenedto the bottom sole in a horizontal position after the insertion has beencompleted, so that each cover can be easily and strongly coupled to thebottom sole.

In the present invention, the material of the locking parts that couplethe covers to the bottom sole may be a rigid material. In this case,even though no separate structure such as a snap ring is provided, thelocking parts can be prevented from bending even if a comparativelylarge external force is applied thereto, thus strengthening the couplingof the covers to the bottom sole.

In the present invention, a connection hook may be provided on eachlocking part and connected to the corresponding connection part so thatthe connection part is prevented from being exposed below the lockingpart, thus preventing the connection part from being damaged when theshoe is in use.

After the assembly of the shoe has been completed, a peculiar color orlogo may be applied to a surface of the locking part that is exposed tothe outside from the lower surface or sidewall of the bottom sole, thusmaking it possible for a user to express his/her individuality, andimproving the aesthetics.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

1. A DIY (Do It Yourself) shoe, comprising: a bottom sole having a footshape, with a through hole formed through the bottom sole at a positionadjacent to a periphery of the bottom sole; and at least one coverremovably coupled to the bottom sole, the cover comprising: a connectionpart inserted into the through hole of the bottom sole; and a lockingpart provided on the connection part, wherein the through hole has ashape of a slot of which a longitudinal length is longer than a laterallength, and the locking part has a non-circular shape in which alongitudinal length of the locking part is equal to or less than thelongitudinal length of the through hole and a lateral length of thelocking part is greater than the longitudinal length of the locking partso that the locking part is easily inserted into the through hole butnot easily removed therefrom.
 2. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 1,wherein the connection part has a shape of a band having a predeterminedflexibility and extends from an end of the cover, and the locking partis provided on an end of the connection part so that the locking part isable to flexibly bend onto the cover and elastically return to anoriginal position thereof, whereby the locking part is easily insertedinto the through hole, and after the locking part has been inserted intothe through hole, the locking part elastically returns to the originalposition thereof, thus preventing the locking part from being easilyremoved from the through hole.
 3. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 2,wherein the locking part has a logo formed on a surface of the lockingpart that is exposed to an outside after the locking part has beeninserted into the through hole, or has a different color on the exposedsurface thereof.
 4. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 1, wherein theconnection part comprises a non-flexible material part formed on an endof the cover.
 5. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 4, wherein theconnection part comprises a string sewn to the end of the cover.
 6. TheDIY shoe as set forth in claim 4, wherein the locking part is made ofrigid material.
 7. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 6, wherein thelocking part comprises a connection hook protruding upwards from thelocking part, and the connection part is coupled to the connection hookso that the connection part is prevented from being exposed below thelocking part, thus preventing the connection part from being damaged. 8.The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 4, wherein a thickness of the lockingpart is equal to or less than the lateral length of the through hole. 9.The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 4, wherein the connection part isembedded in the through hole of the bottom sole after the locking parthas been inserted through the through hole.
 10. The DIY shoe as setforth in claim 4, wherein the bottom sole has a seating depressionformed around an end of the through hole, the seating depression havinga shape corresponding to a shape of the locking part so that the lockingpart which has been inserted into the through hole is seated into theseating depression.
 11. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 10, whereinthe through hole is formed through the bottom sole in a slanteddirection from an upper surface of the bottom sole to a sidewallthereof, the seating depression is formed in the sidewall of the bottomsole, and the locking part has a logo formed on a surface of the lockingpart that is exposed to an outside after the locking part has beeninserted into the through hole, or has a different color on the exposedsurface thereof.
 12. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 2, wherein athickness of the locking part is equal to or less than the laterallength of the through hole.
 13. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 1,wherein a thickness of the locking part is equal to or less than thelateral length of the through hole.
 14. The DIY shoe as set forth inclaim 2, wherein the connection part is embedded in the through hole ofthe bottom sole after the locking part has been inserted through thethrough hole.
 15. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 1, wherein theconnection part is embedded in the through hole of the bottom sole afterthe locking part has been inserted through the through hole.
 16. The DIYshoe as set forth in claim 2, wherein the bottom sole has a seatingdepression formed around an end of the through hole, the seatingdepression having a shape corresponding to a shape of the locking partso that the locking part which has been inserted into the through holeis seated into the seating depression.
 17. The DIY shoe as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the bottom sole has a seating depression formed aroundan end of the through hole, the seating depression having a shapecorresponding to a shape of the locking part so that the locking partwhich has been inserted into the through hole is seated into the seatingdepression.
 18. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 17, wherein thethrough hole is formed through the bottom sole in a slanted directionfrom an upper surface of the bottom sole to a sidewall thereof, theseating depression is formed in the sidewall of the bottom sole, and thelocking part has a logo formed on a surface of the locking part that isexposed to an outside after the locking part has been inserted into thethrough hole, or has a different color on the exposed surface thereof.19. The DIY shoe as set forth in claim 16, wherein the through hole isformed through the bottom sole in a slanted direction from an uppersurface of the bottom sole to a sidewall thereof, the seating depressionis formed in the sidewall of the bottom sole, and the locking part has alogo formed on a surface of the locking part that is exposed to anoutside after the locking part has been inserted into the through hole,or has a different color on the exposed surface thereof.